Airman supports burn clinic for Iraqi children

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. D. Clare
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  When Army Cpl. Joseph Barzeski invited Staff Sgt. Tracy Davidson to tour the Convoy Support Center's burn clinic in Scania, Iraq, he didn't think she would be back. But she did come back, again and again. 

"I didn't think she was going to want to stay, but she wanted to help," said the corporal. "She just fell right into it."

Since that day in mid-July, Sergeant Davidson has assisted nearly every day the clinic has been open. She's become a fixture at the facility as a care provider for families, and a resource for combat medics who endure stress. 

Corporal Barzeski, a combat medic for the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and NCO in charge of the clinic, said the sergeant's contributions are invaluable. As a female, she is a comfort to the parents and girls whose burns often cover most of their bodies.

Likewise, as a mental health technician in an "in-lieu-of" tasking in support of the Army, she's there to listen and support the medics and Soldiers who rely on her for emotional support.

Sergeant Davidson has logged more than 850 hours treating children at the clinic. Based on the impact she has had on patients, her command developed a Personnel Asset Sharing agreement that allows her to officially assist all three days the clinic is open plus volunteering after duty hours.

Burns are prolific among Iraqi children. The majority are caused by household hazards like children pulling hot tea kettles or pans from stoves onto themselves and gas explosions, said Corporal Barzeski, who is deployed from Fort Bragg, N.C.,

Though they are not able to provide the level of care that a patient might receive in the U.S., the treatment they provide exceed the level of care that children might receive at an Iraqi hospital.

Sergeant Davidson pointed to a case where a female patient came in with trash bags on her hands and burns covering her from chest to ankles.

"When we saw her, we didn't think she was going to live. (Iraqi doctors) were going to cut her hands off," she said. "I saw her last week and she can grab my hands. She has good use of one of her hands and the other is coming along," she said.

As the clinic reaches milestones treating patients, word has spread among communities near and far -- despite the dangers and intimidation families encounter enroute to the American outpost.

They have limited options and are referred to the clinic by Iraqi hospitals, especially in instances where they can not afford to pay for care, Corporal Barzeski said.

Despite the cries and struggles of the children in their care, Sergeant Davidson and Corporal Barzeski are motivated by the results their efforts yield, and the relationships they build over time with Iraqi families, they said. 

"I can't imagine the pain these kids go through. But if we didn't do it, nobody else is going to," said Sergeant Davidson, who is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. "The two-year-old in pain isn't going to be grateful for what we're doing, but the parents have seen what happens to kids who don't get the care.

"It helps a lot as far as what the opinions are of the Americans. Word is out all over the place about how we have treated people with burns,"  she said.

For help building these relationships, Sergeant Davidson and the Soldiers here turn to their supporters at home. She's received donations of clothes and toys for the children from her family and a church in her hometown in Lincoln, Neb.

"We're receiving tons of help from all over, people want to support this mission,' said Corporal Barzeski. "It makes us feel good that we're really doing something to help these people. Even just to take a little tiny chunk of the population and make a difference, to make it so that people can come back and say the Americans helped us. That makes it all worthwhile."

For more information on the clinic, contact Corporal Barzeski at joseph.barzeski@us.army.mil. 

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